Finding Belle is a very well written first novel, quite sad although finishing on a touch of closure and hope.
The story is told from different points of view, principally those of Belle and her daughter Mivvi.
It is a complex and tormented family story.
Belle has Indian roots and she has moved to the UK following her marriage with Fairfax, who is British. The culture difference and the experience of racism, both for her and for Mivvi, is one of the elements of their family experience.
The most complex one is Belle’s mental health challenges which tear the family apart. Fairfax gradually takes his distance and Mivvi struggles in her relationship with her Mum.
Later, Mivvi becomes a mother herself and retraces her family background and history, trying to understand who was her Mum and what led to her situation, and uncovering family secrets.
This story has so many angles, it is a real challenge for the empathic reader. Each of the characters has different facets, sometimes victim and sometimes cause, but all deeply affected by what happens in their family.
There are no author’s notes about what inspired the author to write this story but one has the strong feeling along the pages that it comes from a place of own experience and it offers a light and some hope for those who would experience a similar family situation.
It is a heavy story but I was captivated by it and by the fact it is told from different points of view. A really good first novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Mivvi is trying as an adult to make sense of her parents’ tempestuous marriage. Belle and Fairfax were married about a whirlwind romance in her native Mombasa and came to live in England where he worked as a solicitor in Milton Keynes. Belle never felt accepted nor was she able to gain employment. They did have a daughter, Mivvi and her early childhood years were happy but then her mother becomes ill and Fairfax is unable to deal with the challenge. Each illness is managed by the two of them but no medical help sought until a crisis implodes their marriage and he moves out to live with his mistress.

Mivvi seeks help for her mother and tries to understand what went wrong in their marriage as well as coming to terms with the impact it had on her and her ability to form relationships.

The birth of her own child gives her more understanding and a trip to India to meet her grandfather fills some of the gaps in her knowledge of her mother. Ultimately hopeful this book is not an easy read.

Relationships are complex - this book tries to grapple with this in a sensitive way.

One to be recommended.

Beautiful and tragic
—
In an unbelievable debut, Chakrabarti draws together many threads of story—from Mombasa to Milton Keynes, interracial relationships, mental health, fractured families—into a startling story filled with colour and sadness, the beautiful and the tragic.

Following Mivvi growing up with her increasingly disordered mother, to becoming a mother herself, the one thing that affects everything in Mivvi’s life is her relationship with her father Fairfax, a man who, when push comes to shove, is just not what a daughter needs. Blended with Mivvi’s slow realisation that growing up means sometimes surpassing your parents are entries from her mother Belle’s journal as she falls in love with Fairfax, as she finds that he’s not the man she thought he was (or even as he presents himself to be), as life becomes harder and harder for her.

I found this mesmerising and heartbreaking at the same time, from the romance that started it all off and the distinct atmosphere of life in a Fairfax household, to Mivvi’s pilgrimage to see her Mombasa relatives where the truth at last comes to light: Chakrabarti pulls no punches in this emotional and satisfying novel.

This is well written and has interesting characters . It took a while to get use the different points of view and although I engaged with the characters I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone overall.

The book tackles some tough issues in an honest and sensitive way .

It is worth a read.

Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti is the story of Belle and her struggles throughout her mixed marriage to cope with the changes from living in Mombasa and then moving to England as man and wife. The cultural shock is enormous not helped by her husband Fairfax who is unable or unwilling to help with the huge changes Belle has to contend with on a daily basis.
Years later their daughter Mivvi must try to decode her mother’s many numerous illnesses and her father’s infidelity and finding what has been hidden from her, to enable her to move on from adolescence to adulthood.
This is a story of others and daughters, love and betrayal and Mivvi who must find her own identity.

Mivvi’s parents’ relationship is not good. Her father was often away and Mivvi highly doubt if she has only one parent as there were always conflicts between her parents. Belle go through a lot of emotions and up and down in a relationship. Mivvi has grown up in such kind of environment. When she grows up, she tries to unveil the secrets behind her mother’s illness and their upended marriage. This was such an emotional read and author has addressed all the issues that shouldn’t be in a marriage and shared the secrets that breaks the marriage.

Thanks to the Publisher

This would not be a book I would choose browsing the shelves of a bookshop. However, I am glad I received an ARC as it is totally different to what I had expected. A very well written and enjoyable book. I could not fail to hear Reeta reading this book to me, as if she was reading the news.

Finding Belle is the debut novel from the BBC journalist Reeta Chakrabarti. It is the scrutinisation of a mixed culture marriage over many decades.

The main protagonist is Mivvi the daughter of Belle, who is Indian but was raised in Kenya and her father Fairfax who is British. It is an emotional story that unfolds as this dysfunctional family cope with Belle's mental health issues, her husband's narcissism and the racism that the family are subjected to.

Though it did give me a lot to think about to be absolutely honest I found this story terribly depressing. Be careful that you are not feeling depressed yourself if and when you choose to read.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a novel that crept up on me after a slowish start. We start in 1979 when the small Mivvi is worried about her parents’ relationship. Belle is of Indian descent but grew up in Mombasa. She met Fairfax, Mivvi’s father when he visited as both their fathers knew each other through business. Mivvi is aware, even though she is young, of the cultural differences in the marriage and has herself experienced racism at school. But Belle’s mental health is causing a strain within the family and allows one of Fairfax’s work colleagues, Jade, to prise him away. As Mivvi grows up and becomes a young woman and mother herself, questions about her mother are always present and she know that only tracking down her mother’s family will provide an insight into Belle’s real self. This is told mainly in the POV of Mivvi, but we also hear from Jade, and the novel switches between first and third person. We also have Belle’s diary entries which tell her story in reverse. I found this an emotional read at times as it tackled Belle’ mental health struggles. I had no sympathy at all for Jade and very little for Fairfax who was too concerned about appearance to do the right thing for his family. Mivvi grows throughout the novel and I was so sorry for her character as Belle’s health robbed her of a true mother/daughter relationship. A novel that is character driven, emotional but not exactly uplifting.

Finding Belle is a beautiful and disturbing story of family, friendship, betrayal and secrets. A book full of culture, heritage and tradition, however, is darkened by societal racism and mental health matters and their affect on family life.

The characters are vivid and colourful, especially Mivvy, who shines throughout.

A brilliant debut by Reeta Chakrabarti.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this Arc.

The profound effects of mental illness are all too often smothered, denied and not spoken about. Add the influences that affect a multicultural family and there is a recipe for heartbreak. Mivvy’s journey to adulthood in the shadow of her mother’s illness is a common story, I gather – her delving to find the truth of her mother’s back story is equally tragic. An enlightening read.

Finding Belle, Chakrabarti's debut novel, is a reimagining of Jane Eyre.

Told mainly by daughter Malini (known as Mivvi) we get the story of her parents marriage seen through her eyes. Father, Fairfax, is a charismatic, handsome, blue-eyed, blonde English man married to Bela (Belle) who, as Mivvi gets older begins to display signs of schizophrenia.

Mivvi does not understand her mother's episodes and sides with Fairfax, drawing her further from her mother. Fairfax, unable and unwilling to accept his wife's illness begins another affair, this time with colleague, Jade Evans.

As time passes Mivvi comes to realise her handsome and popular father isn't the man she thought he was and her bond with Belle becomes closer; she begins to question her childhood memories and to discover the truth about Belle and Fairfax's relationship.

As I said, this is a reimagining of Jane Eyre. It does take a lot of the characters' histories
from the original book (albeit with subtle changes - Jane/Jane, Belle/Bertha, Fairfax is Rochester's middle name). However the story itself bears only a passing resemblance as Mivvi becomes an adult and learns the truth about her father.

I really enjoyed the book. It's certainly very well written and a lot of the characters are sympathetic and likeable. There are also, on the other hand, those whose characters err on the side of murky.

Very enjoyable. Definitely recommended. A good read with an engaging storyline. I look forward to her next novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperFiction for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.
I wasn’t able to finish this book as it had too much sadness and depression for me when I wasn’t in a great emotional place myself (grief). However I still wanted to review it as it is a well written debut novel and tackles the very important subject of how a mother’s mental state affects her child, and the impact of moving from one’s own country and culture into another. I will finish it another time and wish Reeta well with this and future novels.

I really liked this debut novel by Reeta. The characters were fascinating especially Belle, Mivvi and Fairfax.
Poor Belle brought to this cold climate from her upbringing in Mombassa. Every thing was against her although she had some kind friends who loved her and she found it difficult to show any love for her daughter Mivvi who had a lot to endure before finding her happiness.

I hope Reeta is writing another book and I will look out for it.

Thankyou netgalley.

'Finding Belle' is a powerful coming-of-age novel. It follows main character Mivvi from her pre-teen years through secondary school, university, marriage and motherhood as she navigates everything life throws at her. The child of a mixed-race relationship, this novel touches on a number of important topics including racisim and mental health. A thought-provoking read.

I discovered this book quite by accident when scrolling through Netgalley one dreary, wet Sunday and I'm so glad I requested it. Rich prose, stunning visuals and brilliant, if not always likeable, characters.

Our main focus is Mivvi (yes, like the ice lollies!) who is 7 when we first meet her and her story is told over several decades. It's about her mother's illness, her father's reluctance to acknowledge it, and the torrid events that unfold as a result of it. Mivvi's Dad is a blonde, blue eyed charmer full of self importance. Her Mum was born & raised in Mombasa but her family come from India.

It's emotional and deeply powerful and is a shrewd observation on the handling of mental health over the years. Quite remarkable for a debut but given Reeta's background in journalism, it's not surprising that she has segued so easily from writing her reports for the BBC News to such an eloquent fictional piece. Bravo!

I liked this book. It tackles and difficult topics such as loneliness, not fitting in, racism and mental health problems. I like the way Mivvi navigated these issues while all the time searching for the truth.

A mixed-race family’s travails. I found this rather sad. The story is narrated by Mivvi, the daughter of a white father and Indian mother, Belle, who develops post-natal depression. This impacts on her daughter’s life dramatically as her mother barely leaves their home in Milton Keynes. We hear Belle’s story through her diary and come to understand why she gets so sad. She misses her life in India and finds her ambitious lawyer husband’s attitude towards her frustrating. It was so sad that Belle’s condition wasn’t understood by her philandering husband and that she didn’t get proper treatment for it while Mivvi was a child. The meeting between Mivvi and her Indian grandfather was moving and very revealing.

A slow read which takes a bit of time to warm to, very well written and tackles some of societies most troubling issues. From racism to mental health challenges. I recommend this book.

This is the story of Mivvi trying to find out her family's past.
Her mother, Belle, came to England from Mombasa but being so far from home and family takes its toll on her and ultimately her family. She hears voices and is increasingly unaware of the world she lives in.
Mivvi's father is often absent and Mivvi starts delving into the secrets of the path in the hope of helping and understanding her mother.